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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Banana or egg? Karnataka to seek parents' consent on midday meal; choice to be taken during school admissions
AI Image (TIL creatives) BENGALURU: The state govt will, from now on, seek parents' consent on food preferences of their wards during school admission, following a controversy over distribution of boiled eggs under the midday meal scheme. The decision comes after some School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMCs) passed resolutions to withhold eggs on certain days. In the legislative council Monday, BJP's N Ravikumar cited findings from surprise checks by the Azim Premji Foundation which donated Rs 1,500 crore to provide eggs for three years. In a survey covering 762 schools, it found that 568 were infrequently distributing eggs, resulting in the govt issuing notices to SDMCs concerned. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Madhu Bangarappa, school education minister, told the House that some parents restrict children from eating eggs on specific days. 'We have decided to obtain consent from parents on their kids' preferred diet or choice between egg and banana,' he said. 'We are reaching out to parents since children cannot make these decisions.' Denying opposition allegations of fund misuse, Bangarappa said, 'There is no misappropriation. But due to variations in egg prices in the open market, SDMCs retain some part of the funds.' Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Karnataka high court stays FIR against Ravikumar over comments about chief secretary
Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court Friday stayed the FIR registered against BJP MLC and opposition whip N Ravikumar in relation to a criminal case filed against him for allegedly making certain inappropriate comments about Karnataka chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh. Justice SR Krishna Kumar indicated in open court that he would pass a detailed order later, recording reasons for granting the interim order. On July 4, the same judge directed the state govt and police to refrain from taking coercive measures against the petitioner. The case against Ravikumar stemmed from alleged disparaging comments about the chief secretary during a demonstration near Vidhana Soudha. The remarks faced criticism from almost all quarters, including the Karnataka IAS Officers' Association. Ravikumar subsequently issued a clarification denying any inappropriate intentions, explaining that he merely meant to highlight the chief secretary's busy schedule. One Nagarathna, a social worker, registered the complaint against Ravikumar. In his petition, Ravikumar claimed that the proceedings initiated against him were politically influenced and his comments had a specific context, which the state administration was misinterpreting. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Do you have a mouse? Play this for 1 minute and see why everyone is crazy about it. Play Game Undo According to him, the complainant is neither a victim nor an aggrieved person but a third party, and only to please their political masters, this complaint has been lodged by projecting his comments in a different context altogether. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru On the other hand, state public prosecutor BA Belliyappa strongly opposed the grant of the interim order, suggesting it would affect public morale. He also pointed out the concerns from female IAS officers and referenced previous controversial statements by Ravikumar.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Congress and BJP locked in copycat campaign clash, cadres worried
Bengaluru: Cadres of both governing Congress and opposition BJP in Karnataka are in a quandary as their parties are increasingly mirroring each other in political messaging. From OBC welfare to farmers' rights, both parties are deploying similar strategies in what is now being seen as a 'battle of borrowed themes'. On Wednesday, Congress organised a national OBC convention in Bengaluru, pushing for inclusion of data on social and educational backwardness in the upcoming nationwide caste census. The party also passed a resolution urging the Centre to lift the 50% cap on reservation. In April, BJP-led Centre announced a nationwide caste census — set to begin in Oct in northeastern states and March 2026 elsewhere — and launched an awareness drive on its benefits for OBCs, including in Karnataka. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru But the overlap goes beyond caste data. From price rise protests to campaigns for farmers and constitutional protection, both parties appear to be shadowing each other in tone and tactics. Just a day before Congress' convention, chief minister Siddaramaiah announced the scrapping of a govt notification to acquire 1,777 acres near Devanahalli for an aerospace park — an issue raised by protesting farmers. This strategy convergence has frustrated party workers on both sides, who worry that their outreach campaigns are becoming indistinguishable from the opposition's. The result: A fresh round of allegations over who is copying whom. "The way Congress is structuring its programmes to reach out to people shows a bankruptcy of ideas," said N Ravikumar, BJP chief whip in the legislative council. "Since it has nothing new to present before people, it is mirroring our initiatives. For instance, their OBC campaign comes after the Centre announced the caste census. We are attacking Congress for posing a threat to the Constitution by imposing an Emergency on the country, but they are responding to it by launching a campaign on saving the Constitution. And it is ridiculous that the Congress held public rallies on price rise after BJP held a series of Janakrosha Yatre rallies as the state govt has hiked prices of as many as 52 items including milk and alcohol." But senior Congress functionaries insist that their strategies are rooted in conviction, not imitation. "It may look like the two parties are echoing each other on issues related to people's problems but Congress has a completely different approach," said KPCC vice-president BL Shankar. "We are genuinely committed to issues such as upholding social justice. BJP has no moral right to talk about caste census and welfare of OBCs. It had categorically stated that it opposes caste census, while RSS functionaries had even insisted on scrapping reservation of OBCs." Congress chief whip in the legislative council Saleem Ahmed added, "People have noticed that BJP was forced to announce caste census only after our leader Rahul Gandhi insisted on it. We pioneered a caste census in Karnataka and Telangana. It is BJP which is copying us. The difference is their moves are pretentiousness, while Congress is genuinely committed to the cause."
New Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BJP MLC makes offensive remark against chief secretary
BENGALURU: BJP MLC and opposition whip in the Council N Ravikumar is once again in the eye of a storm over another controversial remark targeting senior IAS officers, drawing sharp condemnation from common people, bureaucrats, and political opponents. In his comment on Tuesday, Ravikumar alleged that Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh 'works all night for the government and all day for the Chief Minister'. Criticised as sexist and derogatory, the statement prompted the Mysuru-based women's rights group Odanadi Seva Samsthe to file a formal complaint with the director general of police. It also petitioned the state women's commission and the high court registrar. 'We have urged them to take action against this person,' said Odanadi's Parashuram ML. 'Until now, no action has been taken against anyone who has spoken disrespectfully or spitefully. Why can't we have some respect in public discourse,' he wondered. This is not Ravikumar's first brush with controversy. Some five weeks ago, during BJP's Kalaburagi Chalo rally, he questioned the nationality of Kalaburagi DC Fauzia Tarannum, saying, 'I don't know whether the IAS officer is from Pakistan or from here.' The remark, which quickly spread on social media, was widely denounced as inflammatory and offensive. Retired officials and rights groups warned that such attacks on civil servants could demoralise the administrative system. 'Such rhetoric promotes a culture of disrespect and sends a chilling message to officers working under pressure,' said one retired bureaucrat. Ravikumar is yet to respond to the latest criticism. KPCC General Secretary S Manohar filed a complaint with the High Ground police, stating that Ravikumar made the statement near the Mahatma Gandhi statue close to Vidhana Soudha after a protest. The High Ground police said action will be taken after verifying details.
New Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BJP gears up to corner Congress in Assembly over Chinnaswamy stadium stampede and caste census
BENGALURU: Despite the Congress government in the state finding itself on a sticky wicket some BJP leaders feel they have not been able to corner the government. With the monsoon session of the Assembly likely to start from July 14, the BJP is preparing to raise the recent stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives during the RCB victory celebrations, new caste census and many more issues. The Congress government that has completed two years a few weeks ago is facing internal bickering, with many eying posts of chief minister and KPCC president. The BJP is planning protests and may consider approaching Governor with complaint. Some of the issues that the BJP leaders raised in the past few months include the government's mismanagement during the RCB victory celebrations, government taking up new caste census, thus not taking up the old reports for which government had spent over Rs 160 crore, and communal clashes in coastal Karnataka that also witnessed murders. Speaking to TNIE, a senior BJP leader on condition of anonymity said that every time, they raised an issue to highlight the failure of the state government, there has been a parallel national development that had sidelined the BJP's protest. 'When we raised increase in price of commodities, there was Pahalgam attack. When we raised the stampede issue, there was air crash in Ahmedabad. We are not blaming the tragedies, but we are not able to take our issues to logical conclusion,' the leader said. MLC and Opposition Chief Whip in Upper House, N Ravikumar, said they will discuss the strategy for the session in their party meeting. 'Congress has failed to give good governance, maintain law and order, but is indulging in appeasement politics that has resulted in the killing of Hindu activists. We will raise these issues along with deaths due to stampede, wasting of tax payers' money on caste census and many more.'' he said.
